Use this before publishing images in
- Service pages, product pages, landing pages, case studies, comparison pages, or AI-search source pages.
- Google Business Profile posts, social updates, paid-ad drafts, email headers, or newsletter graphics.
- Gumroad previews, lead magnets, carousel images, thumbnails, or marketplace gallery assets.
- Customer proof blocks, before/after galleries, screenshots, staff photos, vendor logos, badges, or partner visuals.
Copy/paste AI image usage-rights card
Paste this card into a CMS note, spreadsheet, product-launch checklist, or marketing brief before asking AI to write captions, alt text, or promotion copy.
| Field | What to record | Human review rule |
|---|---|---|
| Image asset | Filename, URL, CMS ID, prompt/output ID, stock library item, or vendor/customer source. | If the source is unknown, mark DO NOT USE until verified. |
| Image type | AI-generated, stock, customer-submitted, staff photo, vendor/logo, screenshot, product mockup, before/after, or internal-only. | Different image types need different permission and disclosure checks. |
| Rights / license proof | License URL, purchase record, platform terms, customer permission, vendor approval, brand guideline, or internal creation note. | Do not assume “AI-generated” means unrestricted use. |
| Customer or person shown | No person, anonymized, staff-approved, customer-approved, minor/private setting, or do not publish. | Faces, homes, vehicles, medical/safety details, addresses, and private property require extra review. |
| Allowed public claim | Exactly what the image may support: illustration only, real project, product screenshot, workflow example, proof of completion, or generic concept. | Do not let the image imply results, guarantees, rankings, credentials, location, or ownership without source proof. |
| Required disclosure | AI-generated illustration, stock image, dramatization, mockup, edited screenshot, or actual customer/project photo. | Use disclosure when absence of disclosure could mislead buyers. |
| Caption / alt text boundary | Approved words, forbidden claims, sensitive details to remove, and accessibility notes. | Alt text describes the image; it should not become hidden SEO claim stuffing. |
| Where it can appear | Website, social, email, marketplace, ad draft, internal training, client proof, or not public. | Permission for one channel does not automatically approve every channel. |
| Owner review | Reviewer name, date, decision, and next review date if the image supports a time-sensitive claim. | Any compliance, customer-proof, endorsement, testimonial, before/after, or regulated-industry image needs named approval. |
AI caption and alt-text review prompt
You are helping a small business review an image before publishing it on a website, social post, marketplace page, or AI-search source page.
Use only the usage-rights card below. Do not invent license status, customer permission, product results, location, date, staff identity, warranty, rankings, before/after impact, endorsement, or ownership.
Return:
1. Missing rights or permission proof.
2. A safe public caption under 35 words.
3. Accessibility-focused alt text under 125 characters.
4. Claims this image is NOT allowed to support.
5. Required disclosure, if any.
6. STOP PUBLISHING if legal, privacy, customer-consent, platform-terms, or owner-review details are unclear.
Usage-rights card:
[Paste card here]Safer wording examples
- Use: “AI-generated illustration of an office workflow dashboard; not a customer screenshot.”
- Avoid: “This dashboard helped customers recover 40 percent more revenue.”
- Use: “Licensed stock image used as a generic service-team header.”
- Avoid: “Our certified technicians completed this exact job same-day.”
- Use: “Customer-approved project photo; address and identifying details removed.”
- Avoid: “Before and after proof of guaranteed results.”
Image-risk labels
- safe_generic_illustration — concept art, no customer proof implied.
- license_needs_source — asset may be usable but license proof is missing.
- customer_permission_required — person, home, property, review, testimonial, or project proof involved.
- disclosure_required — generated, staged, edited, stock, or mockup image could be mistaken for real proof.
- owner_review_required — regulated, sensitive, before/after, legal, medical, safety, financial, or endorsement context.
- do_not_publish — source, rights, privacy, or claim support cannot be verified.
Make visual marketing safer before AI search repeats it
Pair this with the Photo Gallery Caption Source Checklist, AI Search Image Alt Text Checklist, and AI Customer Consent Record Checklist.
For a full AI-search source-of-truth system, see SEO After AI. For internal prompt, approval, and owner-review systems, use The Small Business AI Profit Kit.